Crumb Catcher

Crumb Catcher gets a 7/10 from me. It's a weird little movie that reminded me of some of those offbeat indie/art house films from the '90s-stuff like Barton Fink or The Dark Backward. Most of it takes place in one house, with a small group of characters, and it slowly builds from awkward to intense in a way that kept me interested. It's dark, kind of funny in a messed-up way, and has a look that really fits the mood.

It's not perfect-the acting isn't the greatest, there's too much shaky cam, some of the dialogue feels flat, and a few scenes seem to be trying a little too hard to be strange or meaningful. Still, it has a strong style and doesn't play it safe, which I appreciate. If you like movies that are a little off-center and don't mind some rough edges, this one's worth checking out.

Chris Skotchdopole's first attempt at directing didn't stand out, but it did have some merit. The writing credits belong to Chris Skotchdopole, Larry Fessenden, and Rigo Garay, and that's where I had a few criticisms, particularly regarding the story's dynamics. It was unique, but even for that, you need some believability - and this story was just lacking that! So, we can consider it a strained effort at an absurdist suspense-thriller.

The entire story hinges on the notion that Shane and Leah are truly in love. They are supposedly so in love that Shane is terrified of their marriage falling apart if the "blow job" video with another woman is exposed. However, these two have absolutely no chemistry. Garay portrays Shane as bug-eyed and anxious, while Peck depicts Leah as a manipulative power player. There's nothing to really bring these two together and keep them together, so in the end, none of this really adds up.

This isn't a captivating piece of filmmaking, but rather an idea that is stretched beyond the capacity to naturally maintain one's attention without relying on flashy filmmaking and even flashier themes.

So the movie is entirely about watching the train derail and whether the audience will be satisfied with how badly these horrible people get the comeuppance that is due each and every one of them a trillion-fold times infinity via a devilishly brutal climax.

And meh. Some stuff happens. But not nearly to the absurd degree needed to undue the abysmal portrayals throughout.

Instead, at the very end it sadly tried to play on sympathies that just simply weren't there. So no, it did not succeed at the Gothic Noir stage play thing it was going for - which is a total bummer since I usually like things that Larry Fessenden has a hand in.

It is tense. For sure. Someone might like that.

"Came back, Shane" was a funny line.

An engaging, heart-racing film with an incredibly well-casted ensemble. Each actor shines in their respective roles--weirdo, furious and passionate, there's an edge and something darker eating away at each of their insides, which begins to leak as the film reaches its climactic end. The film is for sure an ode to the macabre, sideshow suspense of the freaks and thieves, film noir and whodunnits. Ella Rae Peck grips the plot by the scruff of the neck and drags it forward as she attempts to keep sane amongst the suspicious behavior of the rest.

The love between both leads is soft and sweet and gives weight and more sadness to the drama unfolding.

What is a good genre title for movies that require protagonists to be stupid for the movie to last full length status? Usually these movies are gothic, describing families moving into haunted houses, then staying 2 hours through virtue of idiocy through ignoring hellish circumstances. But they always encompass allowing an outside entity, human or otherwise, to invade their space, then slowly escalate, moving from some form of indifference to an ultimate life and death panic. Better examples, like funny games or knock knock are thoughtfully planned out to trap the normies logically, but that takes scriptwriting effort. 90 per cent plus are just lazy set ups to create situations that would culminate in either quick dismissal or confrontation. Or in case of the classic haunted house, a quick move. I nominate "inert observer", but I am sure there is better.